Training Day 2 - Just About to Get Interesting?

Written on March 8, 2011...

   Today was a training day for the C.O.'s, so I slept and read all day. On training days we are kept locked in our cells all day due to either lack of workers, or because the security of the facility is in question due to the free movement of the Corrections Officers. I had gotten behind in my logs and am trying to get caught up now. Things are about to get interesting in the next few days. You'll see...

Until tomorrow...

~J. Doe

A Long Mixed Up Worry

Written on March 7, 2011,

   Today when the swamper came around after breakfast reminding everyone of their passes for the day, he told me I had a court call at 1:15PM again. Only this time he said the sheet told him it will be followed by a call from Waukesha County as well. I'm like, “What the fuck? I've never even been to Waukesha County!” He said he didn't know anything about it, he was just reading what the sheet said. So all morning long, during and after Rec we kept coming up with ideas of what it could be. I heard everything from new charges from something I did there (which I knew it wasn't, because, like I said, I've never gone there), to someone suing me, to some girl requesting a paternity test! But none of these made sense, so I spent the majority of the day worrying. When it came time to go, I still didn't have the faintest idea what it was about. When I got to the A & E Office, I asked the Sgt. in charge about it. She said she didn't know anything more than what the sheet told her, and that it said someone from Waukesha County Courts wanted to speak to me. She told me to sit at this bank of phones with another inmate and answer any of the phones if they rang. She didn't know who's call would come on which phone. We sat there reading magazines for almost an hour when the phone in front of me rang. When I answered it, it was for the other guy sitting there. So I handed him the phone, switched seats with him, and went back to my magazine. A few minutes later the other inmate left so I was back to answering them all on my own. At about 2:25PM the phone rang again and I answered it. Once again, it wasn't for me, so I asked the woman to hold while I called the Sgt. over. The Sgt. spoke to the woman on the phone for a short while, took down another inmate's name, and forwarded her to someone else's extension. Then she went back to her desk to track down the missing inmate. While she was doing this another guy from my county came in to be staffed. He had Erin Monroe as a staffing agent just like me, so we talked about what he was hoping to get for staffing and whatnot. He was trying to get work-release just like I was, and ended up getting stuck with AODA Earned Release Program just like me. Doesn't sound like anyone gets work-release anymore... Anyway, they told him to wait by the Sgt.'s desk where I was sitting while they got his bed date set. When they came out, they told him July 18^th ; that means he'll go home next January 18^th! Inside I was freaking out because Erin told me there were beds available almost immediately, but it would take a day or two to establish one. July 18^th is far enough away that I won't even complete the program if I am released under Act 28 guidelines. Having a Class H felony that is non-violent falls under 1 day of “good-time” for every 2 days served. This means I would serve 12 months for my 18 month sentence and be released on November 6^th of this year. None of it made any sense as to why they would want me to start a program I won't finish, but I guess we'll see when I get that bed date. Anyhow, while this was all going on, another guy came and sat at the phones with me. I explained that I had answered two calls for other people so far, so the next call was all on him. He asked me who was supposed to call me and I told him they said Waukesha County, but I'd never been there before. Then he said he was from Waukesha County, so it all started making sense. Somehow they got me confused with him for the call. How? I'll never know... We had nothing in common whatsoever. Name, DOC #, age, where we were from...Nothing! About 10 minutes went by, and another woman came out and said there had been a mix-up. She didn't know how, but I had been mistakenly registered to receive the other guy's call and I could now go back to my unit. So, all the worry was over nothing! I got back to my unit and put in my canteen order for the week. After that it was a typical night. Read my book and talked with my cellmate until after 10:00PM when I went to sleep.

Until tomorrow...

~J. Doe

Don't Turn Your Back

Written on March 6, 2011

   Today when we went to church, I didn't really know what to expect. I'd never seen this group speak before today. The woman who spoke had a message I think anyone can relate to. The moral of her story was that when we are at our lowest point of our lives, some of us may want to turn our backs on the Lord. But it's at these times we should turn to Him. Also, there was another woman who sang a few songs. She had a great voice and that made her singing that much more enjoyable.

   Other than church, my day was filled with reading my book and napping occasionally. Later in the evening the swamper told me I was scheduled for a court-related phone call at 1:15PM tomorrow. I guess I'll know more then.

Until tomorrow...

~J. Doe

Prison Cell Cooking: Tacos!

Written on March 5, 2011....

   Today I signed up for a phone call at 6:00PM so I can tell my family of the outcome of my staffing yesterday. I slept all morning after breakfast until lunch. Then after lunch my cellmate went to a visit to meet his step-mother. He hadn't met her ever before, apparently. So his Dad and her came today. Unfortunately he missed Rec due to this again. I had to give him shit about it later and told him he'll have to work out twice as hard Monday. LOL!

   The rest of my day was spent reading for the most part. I got a letter and greeting card from my Mom saying this was the first week she hadn't received a letter or call from me and she was worried. After sealing her envelope, she must have gotten my letter, because she wrote, “Just got your letter today” on the back of her envelope. I couldn't wait to call home at that point. I don't like my Mom worrying about me. So at 6:00PM I called home and talked to her for a while about my staffing. She seemed neutral about the whole thing. She is mysterious in that way. You can hardly ever tell how she feels about something and she usually keeps what she thinks to herself, unless you ask. So since I didn't ask, I don't know. We talked about my brother and his job, and my Dad and his ongoing medical problems. The conversation was happily ended by me talking to my favorite nephew, Logan. “Logi Bear” was telling me how he was playing his game on the computer with his Nana. I told him I missed him and loved him, and hoped I could see him soon. He replied likewise and nearly made me cry. I miss him so much!! I ended the call as usual by telling my Mom I loved her and would write or call when I knew more about what was going on.

   For the rest of the night I kept thinking about my nephew and the phone call. Later I made prison-made tacos. I used Raman Noodles, jalapeño chips, cheddar cheese, and Cheetos. I mixed them together and added water to cook them. Once I let it sit and it got thick, I split it in thirds. One for the swamper, one for my cellmate, and one for me. We each wrapped ours in flour tortillas, crumpled Doritos over the top, and added hot sauce. It was delicious! I got compliments from both of them, along with others from the unit who could only smell them. After eating, I cleaned up and read my book until after midnight when we shut off the light.

Until tomorrow...

~J. Doe

D-Day - An Unbelievably Gorgeous Tan Skinned Yummm.. ;) What?

Written on March 4, 2011,

   Well it's D-day today. I woke up and started off the day drinking coffee. I wanted to be sure I was awake when they called me down for my staffing. I needed to stay alert and prepared for any questions that may arise throughout this interview. I also went over my Personal Accountability & Goals form to be sure it was filled out the way it should have been. I actually filled out two of these since arriving at Dodge. One before knowing their staffing procedure and one after hearing about the procedure from other inmates. I filled them out until there wasn't any space left to write anything, then added more on an additional sheet of paper also. I just want to be thorough when doing this because I only get one shot. After looking over my paperwork and feeling satisfied with it, I just read my book and waited...

   I went to my meals throughout the day, and did cell cleanup at 2:00PM. Still nothing. Every time the telephone rang down the hall, I'd get this nauseous feeling deep in the pit of my stomach. Over and over again it rang throughout the day, but not for my appointment. Sometime in the afternoon I even commented to my cellmate that along with testing my patience and making me wait this long to be staffed, they're now calling the unit and telling the Sgt. That they're just calling to torture me and will call back in ten more minutes to do it again. I knew this wasn't true, but it sure seemed like it!! Around 3:00PM the Sgt. Finally came to tell me they called for my A & E appointment. So here I was, going to go find out my destiny, or at least what it was for the next fourteen months.

   Once I got to the A & E office I gave the Sgt. Working there my pass. He told me that Erin Monroe's office was around the corner and fourth on my left. What I walked in and saw, I was completely unprepared for! She was an unbelievably gorgeous tan-skinned girl in about her early to mid-twenties, probably Native American. My mind immediately went blank as to the speech I had informally prepared in the back of my mind. I said hello and introduced myself and she introduced herself in return. After asking me to take a seat she asked for my Personal Accountability & Goals form. After I gave it to her, she asked me how I got two copies of it. I told her I requested a second one from her about a month ago as some of my answers differed from right after arriving to then. She copied some things down on another piece of paper, then said I was eligible for the Earned Release Program (ERP) and the Challenge Incarceration Program (CIP). I then went into explaining that I had been told by my attorney and my District Attorney that I would be classified at a minimum security level due to my non-violent criminal history and the level of my current felony status, and that I would be eligible for work-release. She told me that even though I have a history of successful treatment in AODA programs, due to my current offense, she will have to recommend AODA treatment anyway. So, all in all, I got the choice of doing recommended treatment and staying in prison for my whole sentence, or doing treatment in the ERP or CIP programs and going home early. I chose the obvious choice, and signed up for ERP. She said that there should be openings almost immediately, but as soon as she gets a “bed date”at either DACC (Drug and Alcohol Correctional Center) or MSDF (Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility), she will let me know. She estimated having the projected date by Monday, March 7^th. So now it's a matter of waiting again.

   I would have liked to have had a chance to pay my student loans off while I was here, but this is the next best thing I suppose. It's only a six-month program too. So after signing some papers and showing me the locations on a state map, she said it was nice meeting me. I told her the pleasure was all mine. Then I was off to my unit again. When I got back the Sgt. gave me my mail. One letter from my douche bag lawyer talking about dropping my appeal on another case of mine, and a letter from a friend back home that I least expected to get one from. I was honestly delighted when I read her letter too. It made me smile a number of times. I'll have to get around to writing her this weekend. But for the majority of the rest of my night, I kept thinking about where I'd end up going, trying to keep in mind all of the benefits to doing the ERP program aside from going home slightly earlier. Besides letting my mind wander and reading my book, I didn't do much of anything else.

Until tomorrow......

~J Doe

Getting Staffed!!??

Written on March 3, 2011....

   Today was mostly uneventful. We had Rec at 8:30AM and I made sure my cellmate came down too. We worked out our arms today, and by the time we got back to the cell he was complaining about how his arms were killing him. I told him to keep stretching and it'll get better. Instead, after we took showers, he decided to take a nap with his arms curled up. When it was time for him to get up for lunch, he jumped off the top bunk and almost screamed when to stretched his arms out! I teased him about it for awhile, only because it wasn't long ago when I did the same thing! After lunch my cellmate had a Psych. Appt. to do a follow-up on his meds. For the rest of the day we did the usual: read, nap, talk, etc. 

  Later in the evening the swamper did ice distribution and then read off everyone's passes for tomorrow. Almost everyone has a Library pass at 8:30AM. Then he came back to my cell and told me I have a “PM Will-Call pass for A & E”. He tells me this everyday though. It means they'll call me down whenever they need me in the PM hours for my Assessment & Evaluation (staffing). I didn't believe it so I said I wasn't even going to get up until he read my DOC# off of it. Once he did, I knew it was true; I'm going to staffing tomorrow!! I can't wait, but I'm nervous, but at the same time I don't think I could be any more prepared than I am now. I'm going to reread my notes for this meeting and try to distract myself by reading before I attempt to get some sleep. Wish me luck! I'm going to need it...

Until tomorrow...

~J. Doe

"Tomorrow Never Knows"

No, this is not LSD induced. It is has no lyrics like "Turn off your mind, relax and float down the stream..."

This is just to let you know that this person may be mailed anonymously or not, due to your wishes. If you would like to give contact information or get information you can write prison.gates@gmail.com

Also there are feeds on both our major networking sites..
(sorry MySpace, thank you for what you offered, especially to the music community)


Facebook?
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Twitter?
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Tweets? I don't get them, they limit so many characters people make numerous tweets just to say something.. but it gets update streams..

So, "float down stream....... It is not dying...." Anyways, for all that follow, this adds more ways to follow if you are not already doing so. Also, you can get feeds directly to your phone if you have, say, an Android phone straight from the site!

"That love is all and love is everyone"

More to come tomorrow...

~3rd Party